Sunday, March 3, 2013

Might Ionizing Radiation Contribute to Autism?

I read a blog post on cesium and psychiatric disorders last night. It reminded me of a recent study published in The Lancet on psychiatric disorders and single base mutations in genes affecting calcium channel operations.

Might radiocesium be a primary culprit because it mimics potassium, which is involved in calcium channel operations?

Below you will see the post by Mikkai suggesting the link between mental illness and radiocesium.

Then I present newly published research in The Lancetfinding point mutations in genes regulating calcium channel operations in a genomic study of people with psychiatric diseases, such as autism, ADHD, and schizophrenia:

Radionuclides are the cause for the epidemic
explosion of heart diseases and mentall illness worldwide, especially
above the equator.This is where Cesium 137 goes...

MajiaHere: The post includes a visual that is helpful for understanding thebrain's potassium charges.

Majia here: Recently the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium found high numbers of single base mutations in genes regulating calcium balances in the brain among people with autism, schizophrenia, and ADHD. The original article was published in The Lancet and can be seen here

[Excerpted] the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium scanned the genes of more than
33,000 people suffering from these disorders and nearly 28,000 people
without such issues. This is the largest study of the genetics of
psychiatric illness yet conducted, the researchers said.

Smoller's group found four gene areas that all overlapped with
the five disorders, two of which regulate calcium balance in the brain.

Majia here: The study found SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISMS, or variations in a single DNA base, particularly in genes associated with calcium channel functions. Calcium channel functions involve potassium:

[Excerpted] Calcium-activated potassium channels are a
large family of potassium channels that are found throughout the
central nervous
system and in many other cell types. These channels
are activated by rises in cytosolic calcium largely in response to
calcium
influx via voltage-gated calcium channels that open
during action potentials. Activation of these potassium channels is
involved
in the control of a number of physiological
processes from the firing properties of neurons to the control of
transmitter
release. These channels form the target for
modulation for a range of neurotransmitters and have been implicated in
the pathogenesis
of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Here the
authors summarize the varieties of calcium-activated potassium channels
present in central neurons and their defining
molecular and biophysical properties.[end quote]

Majia here: Ok so potassium levels and operations are critical to calcium channel functions, and disruptions have been linked to psychiatric diseases.

People with autism, schizophrenia, and ADHD have more single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes related to calcium channel operations.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms are point MUTATIONS. Where do the mutations come from?

Many environmental carcinogens can produce DNA damage, such as point mutations, but IONIZING RADIATION is among the most powerful force capable of disrupting DNA.

Here is a study that has found a direct correlation with occupational exposure to ionizing radiation and DNA polymorphisms:

Abstract

Understanding
the risks deriving from protracted exposure to low doses of ionizing
radiation has remarkable societal importance in view of the large number
of work settings in which sources of IR are encountered. To address
this question, we studied the frequency of micronuclei (MN), which is an
indicator of DNA damage, in a population exposed to low levels of
ionizing radiation and in matched controls. In both exposed population
and controls, the possible influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms
in XRCC1, XRCC3 and XPD genes on the
frequency of micronuclei was also evaluated.

We also considered the
effects of confounding factors, like smoking status, age and gender. The
results indicated that MN frequency was significantly higher in the
exposed workers than in the controls [8.62 ± 2.80 versus 6.86 ± 2.65; P = 0.019]. Radiological workers with variant alleles for XRCC1 or XRCC3 polymorphisms or wild-type alleles for XPD
exon 23 or 10 polymorphisms showed a significantly higher MN frequency
than controls with the same genotypes. Smoking status did not affect
micronuclei frequency either in exposed workers or controls, while age
was associated with increased MN frequency in the exposed only. In the
combined population, gender but not age exerted an influence on the
yield of MN, being higher in females than in males.

Even though there is
a limitation in this study due to the small number of subjects, these
results suggest that even exposures to low level of ionizing radiation
could have genotoxic effects and that XRCC3, XRCC1 and XPD
polymorphisms might contribute to the increased genetic damage in
susceptible individuals occupationally exposed to chronic low levels of
ionizing radiation. For a clear conclusion on the induction of DNA
damage caused by protracted exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation
and the possible influence of genetic polymorphism in DNA repair genes
larger studies are needed.

Majia here: What I've tried to assemble is evidence that suggests that the DNA mutations that are now being linked to psychiatric diseases MAY be caused by ionizing radiation, among other environmental toxins, and that the potassium mimicking properties of radiocesium make it a likely culprit.

The body'smisrecognition of radiocesium (as if it were potassium) may cause it to distribute radiocesium widely, including in the brain, where it may cause random DNA point mutations, disrupting neurological functions.

1 comment:

Kind of unrelated, but heres the tie in. The Peshtigo fire, the worst ever, affected Kewaunee nuke plant area. and the powers that be lie to us constantly. take care of yourself, prep for the worst, and do not expect help from the gov when you most need it.

I think I tied more events together to this 1871 asteroid attack than anyone in history.

About Me

I am a Professor at a large public university. I study political economy and biopolitics (the politics of life). My interests are diverse but are broadly concerned with economic, social and environmental justice. I have published 5 books: Crisis Communication, Liberal Democracy and Ecological Sustainability: The Threat of Financial and Energy Complexes in the Twenty-First Century (2016); Fukusima and the Privatization of Risk (2013); Constructing Autism (2005); Governmentality, Biopower and Everyday Life (2008/2011); Governing Childhood (2010).
I also participated in an edited collection on Fukushima: Fukushima: Dispossession or Denuclearization (2014).